1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for staining microscope slides, and more particularly, to a device which allows for manual staining of multiple microscope slides at one time.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the biological arts, the investigation of living tissues and fluids for structure and possible pathology has long proceeded with the aid of microscopic investigation. Specifically, samples of tissues and fluids have classically been placed upon small rectangular glass plates, known as slides, which are then placed under a microscope or similar magnifying device where visible structural characteristics may be viewed. In connection with microscopic investigations, the employment of staining compositions was introduced to aid in the identification process. Staining increases the contrast for a microscopic examination, making structures in cells or tissues visible in differentiated fashion. Present manual staining processes typically involve dipping individual slides into small vats or jars containing the chemicals and/or dyes. A severe drawback of the presently used techniques is that they include labor intensive steps which require individual manual handling of the slides, such as transferring individual slides from a slide rack to the vats or jars, drying each slide and replacing each slide back in the rack. Thus, the presently used manual staining techniques are tedious and time consuming. Automated systems for specimen staining have been introduced but have not gained widespread acceptance due to their high cost and requirements for adopting new procedures.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,118,582, issued Sep. 12, 2000 to S. Carlos Del Buono, discloses a slide holder for receiving one or more microscope slides. The slide holder includes a generally rectangular frame and at least one slot, each of the slots for receiving one slide. Flexible retaining latches and retaining grooves are provided at each of the slots for facilitating the securing of the slides.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,746,161, issued Jul. 17, 1973 to W. E. Jones, discloses a holder for flat rectangular objects, such as microscope slides. The holder includes a base with upstanding elongated sidewalls and transverse end walls to form a major elongated receptacle. The elongated receptacle is divided into individual smaller receptacles by a plurality of vertical partitions. Each smaller receptacle includes an abutment at one end adjacent to the corresponding sidewall and an opening at an opposing end which is defined in the base. A slide can be placed on the base between adjacent partitions with one end of the slide engaging an abutment and the other end extending partially over a corresponding opening in the base.
Other related patents include U.S. Pat. No. 2,262,058, issued Nov. 11, 1941 to J. G. Sinclair (slide holder); U.S. Pat. No. 2,633,980, issued Apr. 7, 1953 to J. V. Jorgensen (microscope slide holder); U.S. Pat. No. 2,761,558, issued Sep. 4, 1956 to J. D. McLean Jr. (holder for microscope slides); U.S. Pat. No. 3,756,393, issued Sep. 4, 1973 to B. Markwitz et al. (container for object slides); U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,804, issued Apr. 11, 1989 to A. Levy (slide holder); U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,111, issued May 9, 1989 to J. H. Rosenberg (container for holding packages for cover glass and individual glass slides); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,710, issued Jan. 21, 1997 to J. M. Van Dusen (medical slide holder).
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a slide staining device solving the aforementioned problems is desired.